Healing Dojo Podcast | HIR Wellness

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this episode, we learn from and connect with Barb Blackdeer-Mackenzie. At the time, Barb was the Community Advocate Resource and Emotional Support (CARES) Director and Community Healer with HIR Wellness. She is an author, facilitator, and community leader among many things. Read more about Barb and her story below.

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & John Yang

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Barb Blackdeer-Mackenzie is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the previous Community Advocate Resource and Emotional Support (CARES) Director and Community Healer with HIR Wellness. Pre-COVID, Barb worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation in an executive roll for over a decade and served in capacities such as President’s chief of staff, public relations officer, executive directors of education, business and social services. Barb received her bachelor’s degree from Winona State University and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire.

Adding to her growing repertoire of workshop topics, she also provides professional development to community groups, governmental organizations and school districts for professional development. Her topics include, but are not limited to, indigenous/ First Nations/ Native American people and tribal nations; Teachings of the Medicine Wheel (C. Thunder); Mending Broken Hearts; Mothers of Tradition; Survivors of Suicide, Homicide and Genocide (White Bison, Inc.); pan-tribal attitudes; trauma-informed care; historic and intergenerational trauma; community resilience; Act 31; bias, stereotyping, and prejudice; educational assessment and measurement theory; recovering at-risk youth; physical violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking and special education advocacy.

Barb has worked on the Wisconsin Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force legislative and policy work group. Prior to her Director role, she was board president until July 2020 for HIR Wellness Institute.

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this episode, we learn from and connect with Barb Blackdeer-Mackenzie. At the time, Barb was the Community Advocate Resource and Emotional Support (CARES) Director and Community Healer with HIR Wellness. She is an author, facilitator, and community leader among many things. Read more about Barb and her story below. 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & John Yang

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Barb Blackdeer-Mackenzie is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the previous Community Advocate Resource and Emotional Support (CARES) Director and Community Healer with HIR Wellness. Pre-COVID, Barb worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation in an executive roll for over a decade and served in capacities such as President’s chief of staff, public relations officer, executive directors of education, business and social services. Barb received her bachelor’s degree from Winona State University and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire.

Adding to her growing repertoire of workshop topics, she also provides professional development to community groups, governmental organizations and school districts for professional development. Her topics include, but are not limited to, indigenous/ First Nations/ Native American people and tribal nations; Teachings of the Medicine Wheel (C. Thunder); Mending Broken Hearts; Mothers of Tradition; Survivors of Suicide, Homicide and Genocide (White Bison, Inc.); pan-tribal attitudes; trauma-informed care; historic and intergenerational trauma; community resilience; Act 31; bias, stereotyping, and prejudice; educational assessment and measurement theory; recovering at-risk youth; physical violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking and special education advocacy.

Barb has worked on the Wisconsin Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force legislative and policy work group. Prior to her Director role, she was board president until July 2020 for HIR Wellness Institute.

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this episode, we learn more about Serene Thin Elk and her experiences as a Native American mental health counselor, director of behavioral health at the South Dakota Urban Indian Health Institute, and co-founder of Generation Red Road. www.genredroad.org 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Val Lopez

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this part 3, we learn more about Katrina Brook Flores and their journey as a Xicanx artist, and healing the community through art.

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Odessa Peters

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

To learn more about Katrina, please read below and visit: https://www.girlillatactics.com/staff/el-la-katrina/ and you can contact Katrina via Instagram @katrinabrookflowers

Katrina Brook Flores aka El La Katrina is a Xicanx multimedia and multi-practice artist born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Their work addresses the meaning of boundary-spanning, border-crossing, and binary-breaking through calling-out the way colonial systems, hierarchical institutions, gendered constructs and conquer & divide tactics have hurt Indigenous communities and natural ecosystems globally.  The art doesn’t stop at interrogating these unhealthy practices.  Katrina’s work goes beyond interrogation and seeks to offer solutions, healings and hope in calling forward a (re)claimed and (re)imagined future rooted in joyful ways of being and ancestral teachings. El La Katrinais a graduate from UW-Madison.  While at UW-Madison, Katrina served in multiple roles including the Arts-In-Education Director for OMAI & First Wave as well as the Co-Director of Breakin’ The Law: International Festival of Urban Movement and co-created InterCultural Dialogues (ICD), a “For-Students-By-Students” undergraduate course in Sociology. After moving to Chicago, Katrina served as the Community Programs Director for RedMoon Theater and was later hired as a consultant for The B-Series at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago where she also served as B-Series Internship Coordinator & Associate Curator.  Before becoming a full-time artist, Katrina worked as the Chief Operating Officer of The Firehouse Community Arts Center in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale to assist in building the capacities of the organization in their inaugural year of funding with the Chicago CRED Program under Arne Duncan to achieve a transformative reduction in Chicago gun violence with justice involved youth. Katrina is the co-founder of GIRL ILLA Tactics, a production company that centers the work of Black and Indigenous women in Hip Hop as well as a Dark Matter Residency Artist at Chicago’s Elastic Arts and is the creator, co-director and a featured artist in the musical film SEED POLLINATE BLOOM.

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this part 2, we learn more about Katrina Brook Flores and their journey as a Xicanx artist, and new mother during COVID-19 and managing her identities. 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Odessa Peters

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

To learn more about Katrina, please read below and visit: https://www.girlillatactics.com/staff/el-la-katrina/ and you can contact Katrina via Instagram @katrinabrookflowers

Katrina Brook Flores aka El La Katrina is a Xicanx multimedia and multi-practice artist born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Their work addresses the meaning of boundary-spanning, border-crossing, and binary-breaking through calling-out the way colonial systems, hierarchical institutions, gendered constructs and conquer & divide tactics have hurt Indigenous communities and natural ecosystems globally.  The art doesn’t stop at interrogating these unhealthy practices.  Katrina’s work goes beyond interrogation and seeks to offer solutions, healings and hope in calling forward a (re)claimed and (re)imagined future rooted in joyful ways of being and ancestral teachings. El La Katrinais a graduate from UW-Madison.  While at UW-Madison, Katrina served in multiple roles including the Arts-In-Education Director for OMAI & First Wave as well as the Co-Director of Breakin’ The Law: International Festival of Urban Movement and co-created InterCultural Dialogues (ICD), a “For-Students-By-Students” undergraduate course in Sociology. After moving to Chicago, Katrina served as the Community Programs Director for RedMoon Theater and was later hired as a consultant for The B-Series at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago where she also served as B-Series Internship Coordinator & Associate Curator.  Before becoming a full-time artist, Katrina worked as the Chief Operating Officer of The Firehouse Community Arts Center in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale to assist in building the capacities of the organization in their inaugural year of funding with the Chicago CRED Program under Arne Duncan to achieve a transformative reduction in Chicago gun violence with justice involved youth. Katrina is the co-founder of GIRL ILLA Tactics, a production company that centers the work of Black and Indigenous women in Hip Hop as well as a Dark Matter Residency Artist at Chicago’s Elastic Arts and is the creator, co-director and a featured artist in the musical film SEED POLLINATE BLOOM.

Welcome back! In this Women Pioneering Healing Series, we interview and learn from women who are at the forefront of innovation and community care. We recorded this series during the month of March to commemorate Women's History Month. We recognize and celebrate that women and the feminine should, and must, be celebrated all year. In this episode, we begin to learn about Katrina Brook Flores and their journey as a Xicanx artist.

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Odessa Peters 

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

To learn more about Katrina, please read below and visit: https://www.girlillatactics.com/staff/el-la-katrina/ and you can contact Katrina via Instagram @katrinabrookflowers

Katrina Brook Flores aka El La Katrina is a Xicanx multimedia and multi-practice artist born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Their work addresses the meaning of boundary-spanning, border-crossing, and binary-breaking through calling-out the way colonial systems, hierarchical institutions, gendered constructs and conquer & divide tactics have hurt Indigenous communities and natural ecosystems globally.  The art doesn’t stop at interrogating these unhealthy practices.  Katrina’s work goes beyond interrogation and seeks to offer solutions, healings and hope in calling forward a (re)claimed and (re)imagined future rooted in joyful ways of being and ancestral teachings. El La Katrinais a graduate from UW-Madison.  While at UW-Madison, Katrina served in multiple roles including the Arts-In-Education Director for OMAI & First Wave as well as the Co-Director of Breakin’ The Law: International Festival of Urban Movement and co-created InterCultural Dialogues (ICD), a “For-Students-By-Students” undergraduate course in Sociology. After moving to Chicago, Katrina served as the Community Programs Director for RedMoon Theater and was later hired as a consultant for The B-Series at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago where she also served as B-Series Internship Coordinator & Associate Curator.  Before becoming a full-time artist, Katrina worked as the Chief Operating Officer of The Firehouse Community Arts Center in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale to assist in building the capacities of the organization in their inaugural year of funding with the Chicago CRED Program under Arne Duncan to achieve a transformative reduction in Chicago gun violence with justice involved youth. Katrina is the co-founder of GIRL ILLA Tactics, a production company that centers the work of Black and Indigenous women in Hip Hop as well as a Dark Matter Residency Artist at Chicago’s Elastic Arts and is the creator, co-director and a featured artist in the musical film SEED POLLINATE BLOOM.  

Welcome back! In this Part 3, we interview and engage with Ben Callif, HIR Wellness Board Vice President, Milwaukee-based philosopher, scientist at Bader Philanthropies, Inc., YouTube educator at The Paradox Perspective, and owner of eightstep me coaching and consulting. Ben shares with us his story, experiences, and teachings around the paradoxes of consciousness and how science intersects with a holistic sense of purpose. Thank you for joining us during this 3-part conversation with Ben. 

Organumics: An Epigenetic Re-Framing of Consciousness, Life, and Evolution: https://www.amazon.com/Organumics-Epigenetic-Re-Framing-Consciousness-Evolution/dp/1893121755

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Alison VB

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Welcome back! In this Part 2, we interview and engage with Ben Callif, HIR Wellness Board Vice President, Milwaukee-based philosopher, scientist at Bader Philanthropies, Inc., YouTube educator at The Paradox Perspective, and owner of eightstep me coaching and consulting. Ben shares with us his story, experiences, and teachings around the paradoxes of consciousness and how science intersects with a holistic sense of purpose. In this episode we discuss the memes, words, and dialogue that exists all around us. Stay tuned for Part 3 soon!

Organumics: An Epigenetic Re-Framing of Consciousness, Life, and Evolution: https://www.amazon.com/Organumics-Epigenetic-Re-Framing-Consciousness-Evolution/dp/1893121755

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Alison VB

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Welcome back! In this Part 1, we interview and engage with Ben Callif, HIR Wellness Board Vice President, Milwaukee-based philosopher, scientist at Bader Philanthropies, Inc., YouTube educator at The Paradox Perspective, and owner of eightstep me coaching and consulting. Ben shares with us his story, experiences, and teachings around the paradoxes of consciousness and how science intersects with a holistic sense of purpose. Stay tuned for the Part 2 and 3 soon! 

Organumics: An Epigenetic Re-Framing of Consciousness, Life, and Evolution: https://www.amazon.com/Organumics-Epigenetic-Re-Framing-Consciousness-Evolution/dp/1893121755

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Alison VB

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Join us as we reflect together!

Episode 6 Recap: We dive deeper into Healthy Words and ask the questions on our minds.

Hosts: Fondé &

CAM Cohort:

John (with Odessa's support)

Min

Marcy 

& Lea

Join us as we reflect together!

Episode 6 Recap: We dive deeper into Healthy Words and ask the questions on our minds. 

Hosts: Fondé & Cory 

CAM Cohort:

Xavier

Alison

Odessa

Welcome back! Learning how to navigate and integrate using Healthy Words with ourselves and others has its challenges. We experience negative messages daily in our lives. Join Fondé Bridges and Cory as we learn more about Healthy Words, affirmations, and some ways to put them into practice. 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges and Cory 

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together.

Join us as we reflect together! 

Episode 5 Recap: Interdisciplinary and integrated healing teams are essential for holistic healing and wellness. Occupational Therapists are often misunderstood in their purpose, goals, and capacities. Together we will learn more about this dynamic field and why diverse teams of practice make the difference in one’s healing journey.

Hosts: Fonde Bridges & Sara & Marcy 

CAM Cohort:

Sara

John

Alison

Marcy

Min

Odessa

Welcome back! Interdisciplinary and integrated healing teams are essential for holistic healing and wellness. Occupational Therapists are often misunderstood in their purpose, goals, and capacities. Together we will learn more about this dynamic field and why diverse teams of practice make the difference in one’s healing journey.

Hosts: Fonde Bridges & Sara & Marcy 

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Join us as we reflect together!

Episode 4 Recap: Complex topics were discussed and shared around LGBTQ+, suicide, and social media. This may be a heavy reflection for some relatives (listeners). We thank you for continuing the conversation with us! 

Hosts: Fonde Bridges, John & Mariah 

Editor: Cory

CAM Cohort:

Sara

John

Alison

Marcy

Min

Odessa

Welcome back! In this Part 3, we seek to understand the intersectionality of LGBTQ+ and suicide. John, who identifies as gay-male and Hmong-American, shares his coming out story with Fondé and reflects on what it means to be a 'minority within a minority'. Coming out stories are beautiful, challenging, and  unique to each person; this is just one share story of many that we hope will connect us as we hold respect for John and his courage. 

*We recognize that data, information, and perspectives are constantly updating; please note that we are discussing from our perspectives and knowledge known at the time of recording.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion around suicidality and its prevalence. We understand these topics heavy, complex, and are sensitive; we ask that you use caution and to listen with care. If you find yourself activated, please reach out to your supports, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255, or for our Indigenous Wisconsin listeners, the CARES line is available for you to call or text. Contact information is available on our website: www.hirwellness.org

Hosts: Fondé Bridges  and John Y.

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Welcome back! Social media has been a way for us all to stay connected but it is not without its side effects. We will discuss the recent data, the impacts on increased screen time, and how to identify warning signs in others. We recognize that data, information, and perspectives are constantly updating; please note that we are discussing from our perspectives and knowledge known at the time of recording. 

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion around suicidality and its prevalence. We understand these topics heavy, complex, and are sensitive; we ask that you use caution and to listen with care. If you find yourself activated, please reach out to your supports, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255, or for our Indigenous Wisconsin listeners, the CARES line is available for you to call or text. Contact information is available on our website: www.hirwellness.org 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges, Mariah J, and John Y. 

Join lHealthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Welcome back! There may be misunderstandings and confusion around what a Social Worker may do. Join two Master Social Work students and interns as they share a brief understanding of the profession with Fondé. As a reminder, this understanding is from the lens of just two, we know that social work is wide and deep in its history, roots, and roles. We look forward to continuing this conversation in future episodes! 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges, John Y., and Mariah J. 

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. 

Join us as we reflect together!

Episode 3 Recap: We are all on a journey to seek out peace and the work to finding it is not easy. Shadow work is doing the work of becoming conscious about what has become unconscious. It is following the fear so it no longer controls our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together we will learn more about this critical self-work!

Hosts: Fonde Bridges & Alison VB. 

CAM Cohort:

Sara

John

Alison

Marcy

Min

Odessa

Welcome back! We are all on a journey to seek out peace and the work to finding it is not easy. Shadow work is doing the work of becoming conscious about what has become unconscious. It is following the fear so it no longer controls our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together we will learn more about this critical self-work!

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Alison VB.

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

Join us as we reflect together! 

Episode 2 Recap: Life is a challenge and navigating our relationships can be both rewarding and exhausting; we must understand how our communication matters with others and ourselves. Together we will make connections between the narratives that guide our lives.

Hosts: Fonde Bridges & Xavier Smart

CAM Cohort: 

Sara

John

Alison

Marcy

Min

Odessa

Welcome back! Life is a challenge and navigating our relationships can be both rewarding and exhausting; we must understand how our communication matters with others and ourselves. Together we will make connections between the narratives that guide our lives.

Hosts: Fonde Bridges & Xavier Smart

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

As part of the first efforts with a podcast recording, we appreciate grace on the audio and recordings as we learn to improve our delivery moving forward. Thank you! Be aware that audio may not be sharp and concise, however, we hope the message and content remains loud and clear. 

Welcome to our First Podcast: Part 2! We all know that finding ways to engage together is essential for our mind, body, and spirit. In this episode, we continue to explore what Healthy Words are and address this complex topic and question: How do men of color express healthy words in a time of social unrest? 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Xavier Smart

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!

As part of the first efforts with a podcast recording, we appreciate grace on the audio and recordings as we learn to improve our delivery moving forward. Thank you! Be aware that audio may not be sharp and concise, however, we hope the message and content remains loud and clear.

Welcome to our First Podcast! We all know that finding ways to engage together is essential for our mind, body, and spirit. Tune in to hear more about HIR Wellness, who we are, and why it was important for our founder & CEO, Lea S. Denny, to find unique ways for interns to lead and bring new ways to practice mental health without borders. In this episode, we get a brief introduction into Healthy Words with our collaborator and mentor, Fondé Bridges. 

Hosts: Fondé Bridges & Xavier Smart

Join Healthy Words™ Founder & Head Chef Fondé Bridges as he interviews with the HIR Wellness Institute team to engage in meaningful conversation around the complexities of our collective healing, learning, and living.

If you are looking to engage in the conversation and reflect for yourself, come along with us as we free-think and activate our medicine together. Come as you are!